You Never Know What the Truth Can Do
by Sylveon Lord
Summary: Several years after the Great Movement of Bern, Roy remains in Pherae with six girls and twelve children. However, a small secret threatens to tear everyone apart as it eats at Roy's subconscious... Rated for Polygamy... why am I writing this again?
1. Prologue

**Yes, another project. This is shorter than the past ones though.**

**Hi! Welcome to the prologue chapter of ****You Never Know What the Truth Can Do****! Long title is a long title. Sorry. The main pairing is Roy/Harem, with some hinted Eliwood/Ninian and Hector/Lyn in the past. **

**Disclaimer: If I owned FE, Sophia would be useful!**

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**You Never Know What the Truth Can Do**

_In a time of universal deceit - telling the truth is a revolutionary act._  
-George Orwell

**Prologue**

Lady Lyndis of Ostia hurried down the hallway of the great castle, stumbling over her feet as she did so. No, not over her feet. She stumbled over the little Princess Tate Pherae. Sighing, the green-haired noblewoman picked up the little girl.

"Are you looking for your mother?" Lyndis asked sweetly.

"Um… yes, that's who I'm looking for…" Tate answered, looking away from the elderly Marchioness.

"Shanna is downstairs, last I checked… Here, let's look for her together!" Lyndis said, cheer filling her voice.

Along the way, the two bumped into a young man with green hair, blue eyes, and a bulky frame.

"Hi Grandma!" he said cheerily. "What are you doing with Tate?"

"Hector, have you seen Lady Shanna recently?"

"I think she was with Mother and Miss Sophia trying to get Father to come out of his study. It's rather pointless of them to even try to, though; he never wants to come out…"

"Thank you, Hector." Lyndis said, ruffling her grandson's hair. "What are you doing in this area of the castle anyway?"

"I'm looking for my sister."

Lyndis glanced at the dozing off Tate. "Which one? You have six."

"Madelyn."

"Ah. I believe she was in your room looking for you."

"Gee, thanks, Grandma! I've looked everywhere but the obvious places!" Hector dashed off in the direction Lyndis came from. Chuckling to herself, Lyndis headed towards Roy's study, which had, by that point, changed from a simple room where he filled out paperwork to his twenty-four hour living area. Outside the room stood Tate and her sister Yuno's mother Shanna, Lyndis's daughter as well as Hector and Madelyn's mother, Lilina, and Sophia, the mother of a pair of children named Fae and Igraine.

"Mother?" Lilina said when she heard Lyndis's approach. "Oh, look, Shanna, she has Tate with her."

"Hello, girls." Lyndis said, smiling as she handed Tate to Shanna. "No luck getting him out?"

"Nope." Shanna sighed as she cradled her daughter. "Lord Eliwood, Miss Rebecca, and Wolt are the only ones he even lets in there. Even then, he doesn't let them take him out of there." She sighed again. "I'm worried. He's been like this since Cecilia had little Ninian."

Lyndis looked at the oaken door before letting out her own little sigh. She understood that Roy felt a little pressured, but she couldn't fathom why he seemed so… distant. "Perhaps… when he starts to open up again, we will be able to know what is going on in his brain." Lyndis muttered as she left the three girls by the doorway.

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**So... yeah. "Oh my gosh what on earth is going on what was Glac thinking?!" was probably what you were thinking while reading this. Hahaha.**

**So yeah. It gets more interesting as the story goes on. This will probably last around 8 chapters or so, if I am to take a guess.**

**The OC kiddies are sadly unavoidable for the plot to work. The canon character they are named for is usually someone accociated with the mother who most likely won't be appearing in fic. The exceptions are Ninian for the names, who's newborn so that won't affect much, and Shanna's Sister!Tate may appear later because of Tate/Allen. What, I like Tate/Allen!**

**The next chapter will introduce the remaining children and further expand on the conflict. It may also explain why Roy has six wives.**

**-Glac**


	2. Chapter 1: Twelve Children

**Here's Chapter 1! Enjoy!**

**I don't own FE. If I did, Eliwood would be half divine dragon!**

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**Chapter 1: Twelve Children**

Wolt stepped through the doorway to the nursery, where all the little children under five slept (Hector, Douglas, and Dayan were the only children over five, however). He had been on his way to get a cup of water, but had heard soft sobs come the room so he went to investigate. He found little two year old Tate sitting up, staring at the ceiling while letting out the occasional sniffle. He silently walked over to Tate's bed and sat next to her. With a small sniffle, she looked at the source of the mattress's sudden movement.

"Unca Wolt…?" the little girl cooed softly, looking at her toes as she did.

"Yeah, that's what you kids usually call me." Wolt said, using a joking tone of voice to see if it would help her stop crying.

"Why are you here…?" She asked innocently.

"I heard you crying." Wolt said to his 'niece', though the two shared no blood connections. "Do you want to tell me what's wrong?"

As Wolt said this, some of the other children began to stir and look at Wolt and Tate, intrigued by their conversation.

"Is Daddy okay?" she asked. "He... he never comes to see us anymore. What h-happened to him?"

"He…" Wolt glanced around the room. Madelyn, Percival, Mildain, Fae, and Rath were staring intently at him, waiting for his answer with baited breath. Yuno was looking at her sister curiously, wondering how she noticed too. Ninian and Igraine were still asleep. "He… I'm not sure. Something just seemed to break in him the day Ninian was born." The children still listened on anxiously. "He wasn't in the best of mental states ever since the whole suitor thing, but something about that…" Wolt shook his head. "Talking to him is like speaking to an entirely different person. I want to help him, but I…" Wolt began choking up into sobs of his own. Tate and Fae crawled over and snuggled up to their father's milk brother.

"Unca… don't cry." Fae murmured. "We don't want you upset like Daddy is."

"Th-thanks… I'm sorry that I can't help you smile simply since I can't even do so myself when this matter arises…" Wolt managed to force a weak smile. "Do you think you can sleep now?"

"Only if you tell us a story about a time when Father was happy." Madelyn said, seriously. "Please."

"All right…" Wolt mumbled before giving them a real smile and beginning to tell them a story of how Roy had once gotten into the cookie jar as a toddler but spilled all the cookies before he could eat them. It may have sounded trivial, but to Wolt, the story had a happy, smiling Roy and that was all that could ever be asked for.

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**Nothing else to say... bye!**

**-Glac**


	3. Chapter 2: True Lovers' Conversation

**Hi again! After a few tier list arguements, I'm back to upload Chapter 2! Enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: You should know that Glac doesn't own FE already!**

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Chapter 2: Conversation of the True Lovers

Hector and Douglas walked by Roy's study, intending to not pay it any mind since Roy did not want any of them to see him. However, the two were stopped dead in their tracks by the sound of voices in the study. Curious, the two leaned towards the door to hear the voices better.

"I… I love you. You know that full well." The boys recognized their father's voice, though it had been some time. "But I… how did all this happen? Why did it happen? Why did all this happen to me?" The boys heard their father's shaky sobs as they eavesdropped.

"You can always just tell them all the truth." An unfamiliar, female voice cut in. "I don't think they would be that disapproving considering one of the suitors set before you is from a place nobody knows about, another was a nomad, and not to mention one was a dancer!"

"Still…" Roy's voice cracked.

"Tell ya what. If you come out of this room, I'll visit again next week. 'Kay?"

"…All right. I know you well enough by now to take that seriously." There was a rustling sound as the girl climbed out the window.

Hector and Douglas knew that they probably were not supposed to hear their father's conversation with the girl. Quickly and quietly, before their Father stepped out of his study as the girl told him to, they bolted back toward the nursery to tell Madelyn and the others the startling new information. On their way, they bumped into a tall man with bright red hair and blue eyes, who seemed startled at their entrance.

"Hector, Douglas? Why the hurry?" He asked, experienced blue eyes widening.

"Um… Nothing…" Hector began. "Nothing at all… Grandfather."

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Roy stood before the doorway to the study and sighed. "How long has it been… six months?" He mumbled. "I feel so guilty… but I have to be brave. I have to show people I can stay strong. They won't believe me though…" Roy quietly twisted the doorknob and stepped into the dusty hallway. "Let's see how well I remember this place…" he said with a small smirk, feet lightly tapping on the ground. He absentmindedly walked for some time, until…

"ROY!" Lalum cried, jumping and embracing the redhead tightly. "YOU CAME OUT!"

"Um… yeah…" Roy said dropping his gaze to the floor after Lalum climbed off of him.

"Did Wolt convince you to come out?" Shanna asked, approaching the two. "You didn't let anyone but him, your father, and his mother into your study…"

"I'm so sorry…" Roy mumbled. "I… ahh!" And with that, Roy bolted back to his study, locking the door behind him as tears covered his face.

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**Poor Roy. I feel kind of bad for him.**

**Visit the RANDOM! It is listed as a Pokémon forum, but it wound up a general anime/manga/video game forum with a lot of FE courtesy of me, one of the glorious mods (well, there's me and the admin and that's it as far as mods go...)! All welcome! Quickly expanding! Etc.!**

**-Glac**


	4. Chapter 3: The Letter to No One

**So after ages of FFN being annoying, laziness, and working on the inheritance patch, I've got the next few chapters redy for upload! Here's the kind of long Chapter 3!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own FE, if I did, FE6/7 remake with inheritance... but if the patch I'm making says anything, that may or may not be a good idea. With inherited growth, HM Fir can cap Spd at lv 8 (not my Fir, though).**

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**Chapter 3: The Letter to No One**

"What are you two doing? The looks on your faces suggest you have seen or heard something you shouldn't have." Eliwood said.

"We… um… well…" Hector began, nervously staring at his feet.

"You found out about her, didn't you? The girl your father really loves."

"How did you know?" Douglas asked, looking up at Eliwood.

"I saw you eavesdropping." Eliwood replied simply.

"Why were they worried?" Hector piped up.

"It's not in my place to tell you. That would be an invasion of your father's privacy. I must go now, but please promise me, you will not tell anyone about what you heard. Your father… he would lock himself up and refuse both Rebecca and Wolt. Maybe even myself. He… would probably go quite a bit too far. I do not wish for him to fall into a deeper hole than he already is." And with that, Eliwood left the two children to their own whim.

"We need to tell the others." Hector whispered urgently.

"Huh? Grandfather said we…" Douglas mumbled.

"We need to get into Father's study. I… want to know more about this. But we… we won't be able to do it on our own."

"Hector, are you crazy?"

"Nope." And with a short laugh, Hector dashed off to the nursery, Douglas tailing him worriedly.

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"Madelyn!" Hector cried, bursting in through the door to the nursery. "We need help!"

"Huh?" Madelyn looked up. "With what?"

"Sneaking into Father's study."

"…That's crazy." Madelyn responded. "Why would you even suggest trying?"

"Because there's this girl, she told him to leave it. And he said he would. I… would like to know more about it, since that girl wasn't any of our mothers. We… we didn't even learn her name."

"How do you know this?"

"We… overheard… them… speaking…" Douglas said as he trudged in. "I'm… against this, but Hector is quite determined."

"If this is true, I'm curious as well. I'll help you. What is it you need?"

"Lure him out if he's in there. Ask him to bake cookies with you or something." Hector said.

"…Alright. Is there a time you wish for me to do this?"

"Around noon. We don't want to make Grandfather suspicious." Hector mumbled. "He's usually in his own study around that time of day."

"Alright. I'll see you then." Their sister said with a smirk, before they left the room.

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"Knock, knock." Roy quickly turned to face the doorway.

"Who is it?" He called, half not wanting the answer.

"Father?" Roy cringed at the word. After all the time he had spent locking himself up, he didn't think it was something he deserved to be called. "It's me. …Madelyn. Do you remember me?"

"Of course I do."

"Can you come out? I wanted to bake some cookies with you."

"Why?" Roy asked. "I would think that you would rather do it with your mother than me…"

"You never come out, so I chose to ask you! I haven't seen you in forever, and we all miss you so much…" Roy looked down.

"I… alright. I'll… bake with you."

"Really?!" Madelyn cried as Roy opened the door with a sheepish grin. "This way, Father!" She grabbed Roy's hand and led him to the kitchen. "Oh, this will be so much fun!"

"You look like your grandmother." Roy said as they entered the kitchen and began taking out the ingredients.

"Huh? I don't think I look like Grandma…"

"Not Lady Lyndis. My mother… her name was Ninian."

"What happened to her? Why is she never around?"

"She's dead."

"Oh…" Roy quietly lifted her up to mix the ingredients after he put them in a bowl. "Father?"

"Yes?"

"Why did you always refuse to come out?"

"I… I felt… I felt a little guilty…" Roy responded.

"Why? You didn't do anything." Madelyn asked, her childhood innocence gleaming in her eyes.

"I… you wouldn't understand. You're too young."

"…Hm." Madelyn looked away from the father she resembled so little, toward the dough sitting in the bowl. _Maybe_, she thought, _Hector and Douglas might find a clue as to why he's so closed off._

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Meanwhile, Hector and Douglas had sneaked into their father's study. Hector quickly strode over to the desk, while Douglas cautiously approached the velvet loveseat that Roy had used as a makeshift bed. Hector quickly rummaged through a few drawers, while Douglas pushed the cushions about. As he rummaged through meaningless paper after meaningless paper, Hector's eyes settled on a crumpled sheet scribbled with his Father's messy handwriting. Smoothing it out and calling Douglas over, Hector began to read:

_Father told me to write down what is bothering me so much to see if it would help me get over it, so here goes. I cannot believe I wound up in this crazy situation. All I said was I could not pick one of __**those**__ girls, not that I was in love with all of them! They are all my friends, yes, but I could never view any of them as a lover. And I cannot even imagine how most noble folk would react if I showed them Cath, since she is a thief, who only takes from the rich, no less!_

_And then they tell me I had to produce at least two heirs per girl, so there would be at least a little variation in the line while still preserving Pheraen royal heritage. I… I never asked for any of this! Why did father have to be off in Arcadia recovering from the loss of his powers while I was forced through this?!_

Hector looked up. "So that's what happened…"

Douglas nodded. "Yep. Let's get out of here now." Hector quickly tucked away the paper before the duo bolted out the door.

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**Welp. Congratulations, you guys finally get to read about the past a bit. There are about three more chapters and a possible Epilogue left. **

**Inheritance Roy is too OP. Dat 70% Res.**

**-Glac **


	5. Chapter 4: Father and Son

**Well then.**

**Now that FFN is no longer being annoying, I can upload Chapter 4! Eli gets a lot of screen time.**

**Disclaimer: Guess what magic Glaceon doesn't own FE! Go on!**

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**Chapter 4: Father and Son**

After finishing with the cookies, Roy returned to his study and plopped down in the desk. He sat in silence for a while, before a knock on the door jolted him out of his daydreams.

"Who is it this time?" Roy asked, closing his eyes.

"Roy?" Roy perked up at the familiar sound of his father's voice.

"Father!" He called, bolting to the door and unlocking it. Eliwood quietly stepped in and walked over to his son's loveseat to sit down. Roy didn't hesitate to sit next to him.

"I heard you came out a few times today." Eliwood said with a small smile. "Did the 'write down your concerns' suggestion help you?"

"A little, Father." Roy answered, accompanied by a small sigh. "Thank you for it."

"You're welcome." Eliwood tousled Roy's hair a bit, causing the latter to giggle softly. _He's supposedly full grown, but Ninian's and my own heritage kicked in and he showed that he really had hit stopping age. I consider myself somewhat lucky that I have no signs of unusual aging or anything out of the ordinary at all yet, besides the illness that indicated I was losing my powers. It seems he simply hit a bad draw with his stopping age. _Eliwood thought.

"Father?"

"Yes, Roy?"

"Should I tell everyone?"

"About Cath I presume?"

"Yes."

"I think it might solve a lot of your troubles." Eliwood said, eyes shining as he looked at his only child.

"Hm?"

"You're in this mess because you refused to tell the other nobles you loved a thief. I'd think that undoing the trouble you caused will make everyone happier."

"…If that's what you think. I'm still unsure, myself… Their reactions… I can barely imagine the displeasure."

"Roy?"

"Yes, Father?"

"Take tonight to think. I'll leave you alone now."

"Thank you, Father." Eliwood smiled as he left his son to go to sleep, blowing out the lamp as he left.

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**Dawww... I wanted to give Eli and Roy some family time in this fic. Eli gets the wise parent role in this, and I wanted it to show.**

**Eliwood is totally half Divine Dragon~!**

**-Glac**


	6. Chapter 5: Collapsed Ignorance

**AKA I failed at coming up with a good name for this chapter.**

**I hope you enjoy it anyway.**

**Diclaimer: Roy would promote earlier if I owned FE. So I clearly don't.**

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**Chapter 5: Collapsed Ignorance**

Roy quietly walked out of his study the next morning, looking around to make sure there were no hyper dancers or former teachers about to pounce on him. Well, Cecilia wouldn't pounce on him exactly, but he didn't really want to face her. Cecilia's second child was the youngest of the twelve princes and princesses, and the one Roy felt the most guilt over. Ninian… she was the only one he had asked to name too.

He walked toward the dining room, before he felt a small tug on his arm, attempting to pull him aside. Roy looked at the source of the tug, his blue eyes meeting blue, orange and green as he stood facing two of his sons and two of his daughters.

"Douglas? Hector? Madelyn? Tate? What might you need?"

"Why didn't you tell anyone?" Madelyn asked.

"Tell anyone what?" Roy asked, confusion filling his voice.

"About the other girl? What about our mothers?" Douglas said.

Roy looked down. "I… the public wouldn't be fond of me loving a thief. How… How did you find out about that?"

"We found a note in your study. Father! Please! You can't keep secrets! …We'll tell our mothers ourselves if you don't! What happened?"

"…Actually, a certain someone actually convinced me to tell everyone last night. As for what happened… first off, I was always an incredible student and excelled in my studies. But there was one thing I was awful at, and it was recognition of others' emotions. I didn't know that any of your mothers, with the exception of Lalum, loved me. A year before Hector was born, I was forcibly told they did in the most uncomfortable possible way. My father… he was in Arcadia at the time, recovering his powers. Some nobles had decided it was about time for me to marry. I didn't particularly want to, since I knew they would not approve of Cath. They found me six suitors, the sister of the Queen of Ilia, the granddaughter of the Kutolah chieftain, the recently crowned Lycian Queen, the Mage General of Etruria, the adoptive daughter of Etruria's Great General, and a half dragon, though they didn't know about that part, who came to Pherae to confirm her suspicions about my Father. I… they were very close friends of mine, but I didn't love any of them. I tried to say that, but the other nobles took it as 'He loves all of them.' Because of this, they thought that I would be willing to marry all of them and genetically vary the family slightly. I didn't want to expose Cath's and my relationship, so I went along with it. It was an awful decision…"

"We're so sorry, Father… We didn't know…"

"It has nothing to do with any of you. However…"

"Father?"

"You know the only ones allowed into my study besides myself are my father, Wolt, and Miss Rebecca. As a result, I'm afraid there will be a few consequences…" The children gulped simultaneously. "I... have no idea how to punish you. Oh well. I'll ask one of your mothers." And with that, Roy left the four relieved children for the dining hall.

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**So yeah, this chapter basically finishes fleshing out the backstory. ...And not really much else.**

**After I finish this, I'm considering writing random-oneshots to go along with it, but without the whole 'telling the truth is always the best course of action' theme and with the same backstory and such. They'll probably be random, funny, etc., and much more serious than the main fic. **

**If I do decide to do what is detailed above, where should I put it, tacked after the epilogue of this story, or as a standalone fic published separately as a oneshot series(which will probably be called something silly, like 'The Adventures of Roy and his Twelve Kids' or something)?**

**I made a poll for that. It is on my profile.**

**-Glac**


	7. Chapter 6: Admitting the Truth

**Welp, here is the second to last update! Hope you like it!**

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**Chapter 6: Admitting the Truth**

Lilina, Shanna, Sophia, Lalum, Sue, and Cecilia waited in the ballroom, placed in the center of the second floor, with a door leading to the center of the main foyer. The day was important and tense; it was the day Roy was going to tell the public which one of them he truly loved. Outside, masses of the Pheraen people were gathered, eager to learn which of the girls would become the true Marchioness of Pherae. They chatted a bit, but the small talk couldn't break the fog of tension. It was a relief when Roy walked into the grand room.

"You're all prepared for this, right?" Roy asked as the girls lined up in front of him, holding their breath.

"Yes," Lilina said, clutching Forblaze to her chest for comfort. It was strange, but the ancient Anima tome brought a lucky feeling to Lilina. She presumed it was a portion of its power.

"I'm sorry."

"For what, Roy?" Cecilia asked calmly.

"I'm… I'm not in love with any of you. You are all my friends, yes, but I… I could never view any of you as a lover. I am in love with someone, but it isn't one of you."

"Then who is it? If it isn't one of us…" Roy was prepared for this, because the moment Lilina began speaking, he approached the closet where the instruments used during dances were usually kept, and the girls' breath caught as Roy led a fair skinned girl who shared Lalum's hair and eye color out of it.

"Cath?" Lilina asked. But she stopped quickly when she saw how warmly Roy hugged her.

"I'm sorry I lied to everyone." Roy said. "Father said that telling the truth would be for the best…"

"Roy… why…. Why didn't you tell us… sooner?" Sophia asked quietly.

"I was afraid. I… I had no idea how you or the populace would react." Roy closed his eyes.

"Roy… telling the truth… is better than lying… But the fact you… came clean… I'm grateful…" Sophia mumbled.

"They say lies will just get you in more trouble. Telling the truth is a very good choice, Roy. I'm proud to call you my old student now." Cecilia added.

"Are we ready to tell this to the people waiting in the foyer and outside?" Sue piped up. "They're probably anxious."

Roy nodded. "Yes, we're ready. Let's go, girls."

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Wolt stood in the foyer, standing on tiptoe to make sure he could catch a glimpse of the undoubtedly beautiful Sue as she walked out of the ballroom. His parents stood behind him, both waiting anxiously. Wolt stole a glance at his father, a tall, blonde cavalier who shared his features but acted almost nothing like him. Suddenly, Wolt's ears pricked up at the sound of the instruments that were to signal when Roy would reveal who he loved.

_There's Sue… wow she's gorgeous… Stop thinking like your father and focus, darn it, self! Cecilia… Lalum… Shanna… Sophia… Lilina? Roy's supposed to walk out side by side with the last one… where is he? Wait… he's walking out… is that… really… Cath? Huh?_ Wolt thought as the girls filed out, finishing with Roy and Cath. _That… explains a lot, actually. Why he refused to see all six while he locked himself up… why he didn't want to marry at all… oh, gods… how will people react?_ Wolt looked at the nobles scattered throughout the hall. The room was filled with confused murmuring. Suddenly, Roy spoke up.

"I would like to introduce you all to Cath. She is from a village that their marquess had burned down before the war in which we met. We met several times while she thieved from castles before she joined our cause. And I… I grew to love her. Please… I beg of you… please understand!"

The room was painfully silent and motionless for a few minutes. In an attempt to break this and indicate how people should show their acceptance, Wolt slowly got down on his knees, lowered his head, and mumbled: "Please work."

Much to his relief, the nobles began to do the same, minus the mumbling part. Eliwood was smiling proudly at his son as the people room slowly rose back to their feet to clear the way for their leaders' to greet their people.

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**I can't I had written this and kept it saved so long without uploading. Sorry for the delay!**

**Just the epilogue left of this bizarrely unrealistic story~!**

**Alongside SLSL, TSORA(IGH), and BA, I'm working on another multi chap that will be called 'The Dream Machine' or something like that. It'll be a weird Sci-fi AU focused on Roy/Eirika. I had a dream about it. For some reason, when I imagine the scenes in my head, everyone is singing. Like a musical or something. I dunno why.**

**-Glac**


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